Canada

The Edmonton Police Service announced Tuesday it will become the first police force in the world to use an artificial intelligence (AI) product from Axon Enterprise to trial facial-recognition-enabled bodycams.

“I want to make it clear that this facial-recognition technology will not replace the human component of investigative work,” acting Supt. Kurt Martin with EPS’ information and analytics division said during a news conference.

“In fact, the resemblances that are identified by this software will be human-verified by officers trained in facial recognition.”

Martin said the police force’s goal is to test another tool in its operations toolbox that can help further ensure public and officer safety while also respecting privacy considerations.

Axon Enterprise, an Arizona-based company, develops weapons and technology products for military, law enforcement and civilians in jurisdictions where legal.